The closest challenger to Tadej Pogacar in 2026 - He is Serbian and has won in 10 different countries
Cycling
Dusan Rajovic has previously been part of the World Tour, but has found his true calling at ProTeam level. In 2026, he was the second rider who won the most on the road, only beaten by Tadej Pogacar. The Serbian sprinter has taken 16 victories over the span of 10 countries; and in 2027 he might be on track to be a leader at the Giro d'Italia.
"I’d say the season was very positive; it brought many podiums and wins," Rajovic said in an interview with Bici.Pro. "Of course, my victories can’t be compared to Tadej's, but it’s great to secure as many as possible and contribute to the team’s standing in the rankings—a collective effort".
Rajovic, 28, is a sprinter for Solution Tech NIPPO Rali. He has been part of this team since 2025, and has become an absolute leader in the team, delivering the Italian second-division squad with a constant stream of victories throughout the collaboaration.
In 2026, no less than 16 victories - only topped, in the men's peloton, by Tadej Pogacar's 22. "And those 16 wins aren’t just mine; they belong to the whole team—they wouldn’t have been possible without everyone’s contribution [...] "It’s certainly striking to see that I’m the only rider from a ProTeam in the top 10; ultimately, I hope that next year I’ll have more opportunities to compete against them and distinguish myself in head-to-head battles".
The most important ones were, according to him: "The Tour of Slovenia and the Giro di Sardegna were the highlights of my season, though it’s also rewarding to have won in so many different countries—spanning three different continents, in fact. And then there’s the national title (Rajovic won the time trial, ed.), winning in your own home country always holds a special significance".
Dusan Rajovic has won 16 pro races in 2026
Aside from the smaller-tier races, Rajovic has also finished fourth at the Scheldeprijs - won by Tim Merlier. Alongside Domenico Pozzovivo, both have topped the UCI points charts of the Italian team in 2026, bringing enough points to launch the team into the Top30 of the UCI rankings.
In the absence of Bardiani, Solution Tech and Rajovic might find themselves at the start of the Corsa Rosa next year in Trieste.
"I wouldn’t necessarily call it redemption; I’m actually grateful for the years I spent with Bahrain [Victorious]," he recalls.
Victories in 2026:
| # | Rider | Team | Wins |
| 1 | POGAČAR Tadej | UAE Team Emirates - XRG | 22 |
| 2 | RAJOVIĆ Dušan | Solution Tech NIPPO Rali | 16 |
| 3 | MAGNIER Paul | Soudal Quick-Step | 15 |
| 4 | EVENEPOEL Remco | Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe | 14 |
| 5 | MERLIER Tim | Soudal Quick-Step | 14 |
| 6 | DEL TORO Isaac | UAE Team Emirates - XRG | 12 |
| 7 | VINGEGAARD Jonas | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | 12 |
| 8 | BRENNAN Matthew | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | 12 |
| 9 | MILAN Jonathan | Lidl - Trek | 12 |
| 10 | FINN Lorenzo Mark | Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe Rookies | 11 |
Source: ProCyclingStats
Rajovic turned into an absolute leader at Solution Tech
After two seasons at World Tour with Bahrain - Victorious Rajovic is now heading towards his third year at Solution Tech. A very different, but rewarding experience. "I’ve had a great experience with this Italian team, whom I’d already gotten to know while traveling around the world. We have an excellent race calendar that suits me very well, and hopefully, next year’s will be even better".
The Serbian is doing this, despite living in an era where races are faster, and sprinters must be more complete. "Cycling today is very challenging for riders like me, especially in the major races, for a number of reasons: the pace is incredibly high, there are some truly exceptional champions, and races are structured in such varied ways—often not geared toward a bunch sprint, even when the course profile might suggest one. I think cycling is currently at its absolute peak in terms of performance".
The Giro d'Italia might be on the schedule for next year, but at the time being, there is no specific focal point for the 28-year old. "My expectations for the coming season are quite simple: I don’t have one specific goal or a particular race that I value above all others".
"What I want is to achieve the best possible results in the major races, against tougher competition. I might end up with fewer victories overall, or even slip a bit in the rankings—but that would be perfectly fine if it meant securing one of those wins that truly stands the test of time".
Cycling in Serbia
Rajovic's presence at the top of such a chart is a refreshing view, within the context of his upbringing. He was born in Yugoslavia in 1997, shortly before NATO's bombing campaign in the country during the Kosovo war. Currently, Serbia and its neighbours have few riders at the top of the cycling world, with Rajovic being a rare exception.
"A few days ago, I was surprised to discover—while looking at Procyclingstats—that while I’m second in terms of the number of wins, I’m actually first in another ranking: the one for riders who cover the most distance between races".
His achievements this year have been made the more impressive due to the diversity of locations in which he's won. In total, ten different countries: Italy, Croatia, Taiwan, China, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Greece, Serbia, Slovenia, Turkey and Panama.
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But during calmer periods, he returns to Serbia. "The season has been stressful, but then again, it always is. I try to be at home as much as the calendar allows, training in my own area, but naturally, once the season ends, there’s always a strong desire to be with loved ones, among one’s own people".
However, despite his influence, he doesn't believe there will be a cycling revolution in the Balkan nation anytime soon. "No, unfortunately, cycling is becoming less and less popular in Serbia—which is a shame, especially considering that it once had a real tradition there, as is the case in some other Balkan countries".
"There are a few individual athletes, but cycling is largely neglected in my country; it’s very much a niche discipline," he concluded.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Because for you deviated implies the other rider MUST have been made to fall and fail to finish ??? I don’t know if you ride a bike but next time someone carves you up or drives dangerously close, just hold back from those feelings of changing something, reporting or filming or even complaining. Everyone will just say, hey you’re still here undamaged, doesn’t seem like anyone did anything.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- And we, what are we doing?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- And yet, it attracts people, even you. What’s more, it attracts the rival fanboys to fill cyberspace with endless pointless my hero is better than your hero blabla that’s all been heard before and only helps sell the site as an advertising platform. You know what the solution is but most can’t resist. No different than women who follow and discuss celebs through gossip magazines.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- he is doing 460 watts for 35 min to achieve 7 w/kg with VO2 at 96 , just unreal numbers.abstractengineer08-11-2026
- Just do it, and put up with the consequencesJumpyjohn08-11-2026
- "was a headliner at the Tour de France" Nobody cared about Piddie. Only rivals that were there for Pogi, Jonas, Remco, Sexias, Lipo, Del Toro and they were all expected to lose. Piddie was not even in any conversation.abstractengineer08-11-2026
- exactly, he had an amazing season, but with these overstatements they don‘t do him good.Ketterechts08-11-2026
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